Getting better search results for your website 2012-04-08

A bit of history

The world wide web has actually been around for over 20 years.  The early years were pretty crude by today’s standards.  While one website could easily link to another, it soon became clear that there was a need for some way to “look up” a website.  The first efforts involved a human curated directory arranged by category.  The best known was Yahoo.  In time, Yahoo would also join the growing number of “search engines” on the world wide web.

What is a search engine?

A search engine is simply an automated system for indexing websites, and returning search results related to your query.  It was soon discovered just how easy it was to “cheat” some of the early search engines.  Dozens of competitors offered a range of quite different search results.  Now, the pie is shared largely by Google, Yahoo, and Bing (formerly MSN).  The latter two getting much smaller slices.

What is SEO and SERP?

SEO is an acronym for “search engine optimization”.  It refers to website design considerations made to (hopefully) improve search engine results.  SERP stands for “search engine results position” and is simply the position on a web page where your site shows up as the result of a relevant search.  Having your website appear earlier in the search results will improve your chances that a visitor clicks on your link. There are many out there who claim to be able to improve your search results almost by magic.  Beware, as this is no simple task, and it takes time.

It’s all about content

If your site has well written content, and it reads well to humans, your chances of performing well on search results are much higher than a site will little related text content.  You should include your target search keywords in the title of the relevant page, headers, and in the body content.  Highlighting keywords is also a good idea.  Do not however overdo this.  Excessive use of keywords is considered to be abusive, and can have just the opposite effect.

Meta tags

Meta tags tend to worry newcomers, as they’re hidden in the webpage code.  Many SEO experts these days believe the “keyword” meta tag is all but ignored by today’s search engines.  It was too easy to cheat with it.  Do however take care with the “description” tag.  It not only can affect the search result position (SERP), but it actually gives you control over what text is displayed in the search engine results.

Inbound links

This is probably the single most important factor in producing better search results.  Your SERP will be affected by many aspects of your website.  Most experts agree however, that it is actually websites that link to you that will be the most significant factor.  Especially those that link using your keywords in anchor text.  Getting those links can take some work.  You could offer an article to a popular blog, utilize social networking, and it never hurts just to ask.  Get your site listed on a directory such as dmoz.org.  Be aware however that a return link often cancels out the inbound link.

Choose keywords carefully

If you targets a single word for your anchor text, you’ll probably be disappointed.  If for example, you target just the word “painting” and your website is about house painting, your site will likely fall well below websites about Picasso and Monet.  If you instead chose to target “house painting” as your keywords, you’d improve your search result greatly.  As a house painter usually serves a local region or city, a better choice would be “Houston house painter”.  Your keyword group should appear in your meta description, and in the body text of the page you are linking to.

Bargain priced weddings 2009-04-03

Many a bride dreams of a wedding on a Saturday in April through June on a perfect spring day.  The economics of this fact means supply always doesn’t meet up with demand.  A wedding venue will usually only be able to host one wedding per day, a photographer can typically shoot one wedding on a given day (some exceptions of course) and the same often goes for DJ’s, caterers, and so on.

Some might not be happy with me about divulging the following, but there are some bargains to be had if you and your groom can be a little flexible.  For example, moving your wedding to a Sunday or a Friday may mean that you’re entitled to a discount or two.  Many vendors, in particular the ones who can only service one wedding in a day, may offer a discount on a “non prime” wedding day.  Sometimes these can be substantial too.

Now of course this won’t usually apply to cake and dresses, or any other service that is easily duplicated for multiple customers.  There’s nothing wrong with asking for a discount from venue operators, videographers, photographers, and so on for these non prime days.  This can also apply to the time of year as well.  November through, not all vendors might offer a discount.  Don’t consider this as a mark against the vendor.  It may simply mean that their services are just that much in demand.

An expensive wedding cake

How do you know if your really getting an HD video? 2009-05-24

I’ve spoken with a number of clients over the past few years about high definition video, and it’s clear that some are confused.  I don’t think it’s intetional, but some videographer’s point out that they use HD cameras, and it seems that some believe that they are receiving a video in HD, when they receive a standard definition DVD.

Sure, the video quality they receive will be better than what was possible with cameras of years past, but it’s not High Definition video.  A standard DVD can only contain standard definition video, or what is known as 480p.  HD on the other hand must be delivered on a format capable of handling the additional information, such as the Blu-Ray disc.  You’ll also need a special Blu-Ray disc player.  Recently, I’ve seen these units priced as low as $189, and they’re expected to come down more as time goes by. There are a couple of other ways to deliver High Definition video, but they’re not very common, or very practical.

Expect to pay a higher price for HD video.  Producing HD, costs more in terms of time and equipment.  It’s not unusual to pay several hundered dollars more, as compared to a standard DVD delivery method.  Even a wedding video delivered on a good old fashioned DVD will be quite good these days.  Even though it may not be true “high definition”, most viewers will be more than pleased with the results

Using a projector for rehearsal dinners and receptions 2009-06-05

Video Projector

We have produced quite a few video presentations that our clients intend to show at a gathering.  Often a wedding reception, but sometimes a rehearsal dinner, and in a couple of cases, a wedding ceremony.

Chances are good, especially if you’re reading this, it’s the first time you’ve encountered this situation.  Not to worry.  Help is on the way.

First of all, check with your venue coordinator.  Especially if your reception is to take place in a hotel ballroom, chances are good that the hotel has everything you need.  Do you plan to hire a DJ?  Many DJ companies own projectors, and the necessary gear to make all of this work.

If the above doesn’t apply to you, there are other options.  In most mid to larger sized cities, most have one or more rental houses that can provide everything you need.  You’ll not only need the projector, but you will need a screen, speakers, (choose ones with built in amplifiers) a screen, a cart, and a DVD player, or notebook computer.

When it comes to screens, bigger is always better.  A ten foot screen will be fine in most cases, unless you have a very large area to cover.

Be sure to ask for help from the rental house on how to hook up and operate the gear.  If you feel daunted by this, and if they offer to provide an operator, take them up on it.  You won’t regret it.

Make sure you test the entire system in before you presentation.  Nothing takes the steam out of a great presentation than waiting through a long troubleshooting session.

To recap, you will need:

1. A DLP or LCD projector of 1000 lumens or better.
2. A pair of amplified speakers.
3. A DVD player or a portable computer.
4. A portable projection screen.
5. A cart or other support surface for the projector.
6. The proper cables for audio and video connection.

Are you choosing the right venue for a summer wedding? 2009-07-26

Air Conditioner

I have attended a great number of summer weddings here in central Texas.  The summer of 2009 has brought weeks on end of temperatures of over 100 degrees.  When you shop for your wedding venue, did you check to see if they have adequate air conditioning?  More than a few weddings we’ve covered would have done well to take this into consideration.

Most likely, the venue operator purchased an AC system that was adequate for the space.  The problems start when you add 200 plus people, and doors constantly opening and closing.  They should have installed a much higher capacity system.  Interior temperatures are now climbing to over 80 degrees.  Your guests are actually going outside to find a breeze. This can not only put a damper on things, it can be a danger for very young children and senior citizens.

You could get technical, and look up the total square footage online, and see what the recommended AC system size is.   There are easier ways.  You can ask the venue operator about this and judge their reaction.  Ask for referrals from weddings during the same time of year, and interview them about the comfort level of the venue.

Your family and your guests will appreciate your consideration.